Apparatus for applying liquids to the surface of bodies

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for applying liquids to the surface of bodies, in the form of a liquid-receiving container which has substantially the shape of a four-sided truncated pyramid having a substantially rectangular base, to the perforated bottom plate of which are attached one or more layers of liquid-permeable material to which either a stencil or liquid-transferring means are attached, the upper portion of the container being constructed as a grip.

United States Patent 1191 Lindfren 1 June 28, 197 4 [54] APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS TO 1,255,053 1/1918 Satrum et a1. 401/6 THE SURFACE OF BODIES 1,598,350 8/1926 lbbitson 401/6 2,108,115 2/1938 Foss 101/125 Inventori H Bflris Lindgren, k l t a 2,300,684 11/1942 Maxfield 401/6 Sweden 2,922,177 1/1960 Hudson 401/207 7 [22] Filed Apr 25 19 2 Primary Exammer-Lawrence Charles 1 1 pp 247,332 Attorney, Agent, or FirmCraig and Antonelli [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT Apr. 30, 1971 Germany 7116851 An apparatus for applying liquids to the surface of b0- dies, in the form of a liquid-receiving container which [52] US. Cl. 401/6, 401 /196 has t ntially the shape of a four-sided truncated [51] Int. Cl A46b 5/02 pyramid ng a substantially rectangular base, to the [58] Field of S ar h 401 /6, 297, 196, 284, 283, perforated bottom plate of which are attached one or 401/282; 101/125 more layers of liquid-permeable material to which either a stencil or liquid-transferring means are at- [56] References Cit d tached, the upper portion of the container being con- UNITED STATES PATENTS d as a P- 1,047,338 12/1912 Tompkin 401/284 X 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS TO THE SURFACE OF BODIES The invention relates to an apparatus for applying inks, paints and other liquids to the surface of bodies.

When applying paints and other liquids to the surface of bodies in known manner, for example by means of a brush, the applicator means must be replenished with liquid for example by dipping into a supply as soon as the liquid adhering to the applicator means has been applied to the surface of the article being treated.

This procedure gives an irregular coating, is very time-consuming and cannot be carried out without soiling the surroundings of the body being treated.

There is a demand for clear marking. of articles of all kinds in practically every field of human activity. This applies for example to industry as regards storing, safe transport, etc., and the marking must be applied rapidly and accurately to the article and fixedly joined thereto.

Apart from manual inscription, for example directly onto a package, or the attachment of appending or adhesive labels, which is always time-consuming and never without error, attempts have been made to employ printing and stamping processes and for this purpose a great variety of means and methods have been developed. The simplest include inter alia the stamping pad method, the roller printing method and the marking with a stencil. These methods require a lot of preparatory work, an extensive stock of rollers, stamps or stencils and, apart from the high costs, are timeconsuming in use and do not provide reliable marking.

In more recent methods and apparatuses a cradle is used as employed in known ink blotters. Instead of the blotting paper, with the aid of clamping means a stencil for example with the desired text, design or marking is secured to the curved bottom of the cradle to which has been previously attached a diaphragm consisting of several layers and the desired ink applied by means of brushes. The marking is transferred from the cradle to the object by the well known rocking movement with great accuracy, clarity and uniformity..However, such an apparatus usually consists of to parts which from time to time must be cleaned, checked and replaced. As soon as the ink, is used up, the stencil must be removed and new dye applied by means of a brush.

In a modified arrangement the curved bottom of the cradle has been replaced by a straight bottom so that the resulting arrangement operates like a stamp. It has also been proposed to replace the grip of the cradle or stamp by ink containers which are screwed in instead of the handle so that the ink can flow into the layers of the diaphragm, eliminating the brushing on. This arrangement leads to soiling inter alia due to the difficulty of achieving a perfect seal; also, it does not in any way simplify the complex structure of the device.

The object of the invention is to provide means which are simple to make and handle and whose structure and design meet all requirements.

The device according to the invention is characterized by a single liquid-receiving container which has substantially the shape of a four-sided truncated pyramid having a rectangular base, to the perforated bottom plate of which are fixedly attached one or more layers of liquid-permeable material to which either a stencil or liquid-transferring means, for example hairs, are attached, the upper portion of the container being constructed as grip and provided with a surface serving as rest base for the container.

The production of the container is simple. It is made for example in the same manner as glass containers, ie by blowing in a given mould (mould blowing), making possible simple machine production at low cost. The material for the container according to the invention is plastic, for example polyethylene and advantageously polypropylene. The wall thickness is small and depending on the strength properties of the material selected is between 0.2 and 0.8 mm. This low material requirement is negligible compared with the ink or dye cost and consequently the container may be thrown away when the ink filling has been used up. The body of the container may of course also be made from another material, for example thin sheet metal, paper or board treated with plastic, hard rubber, etc. The bottom is perforated in known manner, which for example in the case of plastic is done by preheated needles; applied to the bottom is a first layer of for example cloth-like felt or felt-like material such as foam plastic, cellulose sponge, fibrous cellulose products, etc., for example by adhering. There is attached to said layer a layer of extremely fine-mesh textile fabric or permeable plastic sheet, laminated with the aid of polyurethane foam, ensuring permeability whilst retaining the fixed mounting. When the apparatus is used as marking means a stencil with the marking or desired text is placed on said layer. By simple pressure, for example during the first marking operation, the thin stencil, etc., is held by suction on the bottom of the apparatus body. The firm suction results from the capillary action of the large number of pores on the relatively large surface of the stencil. It is of course also possible to press the stencil at its portions projecting beyond the bottom with the fingers against the upper portion of the apparatus which is especially designed for this purpose or, when using commercially available stencils with adhesive strip, adhere said stencil to the side walls. For easier identification of the inks transparent material is advantageously used; alternatively, opaque materials, which are usually cheaper, may be given a colour corresponding to the content.

The container serving to receive inks or other liquids comprises an opening through which the liquid is introduced, said opening thereafter being sealed. This is done by the manufacturer and not by the user or consumer. As already stated, the container is filled only once and when empty is thrown away.

The structure and mode of operation'of the apparatus according to the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the example of a marking apparatus and with the aid of the attached Figures.

FIG. 1 shows the marking apparatus in front elevation.

FIG. 2 is a side view partially in section and partially broken away.

FIG. 3 is a partial-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of afurther embodiment of the invention.'

The marking apparatus comprises a container 1 which has basically the shape of a four-sided truncated pyramid with a rectangular base. Provided in the longer side faces are depressions 2. These provide convenient handling and ensure a reliable seat for the stencil, which is simply placed on. Provided on one of the short sides is a filling opening 3 which during production, for example by mould blowing, is provided with a small tube. When the container has been filled with colouring liquid the opening is sealed, for example by pinching the tube by means of suitably preheated tongs. The top member 4 of the container is fiat and serves as resting base when the apparatus is not in use. The bottom or base member 5 of the container, which may be curved (FIG. 3) or flat (FIG. 4), is provided with apertures or pores P and coated on the outside with cloth-like felt 6 over which a fine-mesh textile fabric 7 is secured.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, provided at each longitudinal side is a sharp-edge nose-like projecting strip 8 between two plug nipples 9 with bores 10 for a resilient clip which is not illustrated and with which the felt and/or stencils may be secured.

The four inclined side faces and the flat upper face I of the truncated pyramid enable the apparatus to be rested securely upon any convenient surface when not in use, i.e. in intervals between the individual markings, with no danger of soiling the supporting surface. In addition, the shape of the grip permits convenient hanging or securing of the apparatus, which is advantageously done by means of a simple clip made for example from thin sheet metal and secured to the bottom of the board of a shelf, the wall or upright on the bench.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 the bottom member 5 may be slightly curved in one direction between the longitudinal sides, the radius of curvature being advantageously made about 130 mm. The design of the apparatus according to the invention permits the number of types to be limited to very few. This is achieved in that the dimensions of the grip are always constant and only the dimensions of the lower part, i.e. the length or height of the truncated pyramid, vary. This facilitates and cheapens production because a universal moulding machine can make all types, the grip and suspension means remaining the same for each type.

The apparatus is usually supplied and kept provided with a cover C such as illustrated in FIG. 4. The shape of the truncated pyramid also permits compact packing and storage.

The example is intended to explain the invention and is not a limitation of the scope thereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 the apparatus according to the invention may, for example, also be used as brush for uniform application of hair tonic or oil, disinfectants (in the case of animals) or cleaning agents (soap, shampoo, etc.), employing a member 11 having a permeable bottom and provided with short or long brush hairs B of desired stiffness, said member 11 being placed proximate the cloth-like felt 6 on the bottom 5 of the packaging container 1. If shoft brush hairs are used the apparatus according to the invention may also be used as paint brush, i.e. for applying paint, lacquer, varnish, etc. When the content is exhausted, the container is thrown away, i.e., as above, it is intended to be used only once. The relatively thin wall thickness also enables the amount dispensed to be increased or regulated by simple finger pressure, particularly with thickly viscous liquids. Since the apparatus according to the invention is made in large numbers it is also possible without difficulty and at low cost to adapt the per foration and the diaphragm to the viscosity of the particular liquid.

The apparatus according to the invention has obvious advantages over hitherto known appliances. These include in particular the simplicity of the construction and manufacture, the resulting low price, the compact form for dispatch and storing, elimination of the danger of soiling, stable resting position, rapid and simple interchanging of stencils and bottom attachments and the resulting relatively low number of appliances necessary even for great numbers of stencils, the elimination of filling with liquid and thus of separate storage of said liquids in large quantities, and other advantages. There are no limits to its applications. It finds uses in industry, trade and commerce, transport and communications, in schools, i.e. teaching, in kindergartens and as a toy, in handicrafts (textiles), in administration, in health services and in the home. As marking apparatus it fulfils a need in particular where normal printing methods involve unacceptable costs.

It is also possible to fill the container with liquid via the perforations in the bottom or a hole in the latter, the filling opening 3 then being unnecessary.

In the drawings and in the specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for applying liquids to a surface comprising: disposable packaging container means for holding a predetermined volume of a liquid, said disposable packaging container means including a rectangular base member, four side wall members extending from a respective side of said base member forming a four sided truncated pyramid and a flat rectangular top memberprovided on the top of said truncated pyramid, serving as a rest base when the apparatus is not in use, said rectangular base member being provided with a plurality of pore means disposed in a predetermined manner for controlling the discharge of a liquid from said packaging container means, at least one liquid permeable member disposed proximate to said base member exteriorly of said packaging container means for selectively applying the liquid in said packaging container means on a surface, a scalable filling opening provided in one of said side wall members, a grip portion consisting of at least one depression provided in at least one of said side wall members, and a pair of nipples having a sharp edge projecting strip disposed therebetween provided on at least two opposite side wall members of said packaging container means for affixing said at least one liquid permeable member to said packaging container means.

2. Apparatus according'to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a marking appliance and wherein the liquid in said disposable packaging container consists of at least one of a dye or an ink and wherein a stencil is disposed proximate to the outer surface of said at least one liquid permeable member for the marking of a surface.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an additional permeable member is attached to said packaging container means proximate to said base member, said additional permeable member being provided with a fabric laminated with polyurethane foam.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said disposable packaging container means consists of a-plastic material.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said disposable packaging container means consists of thin metal sheet material.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said disposable packaging container means is an integrally formed one-piece container. 

1. An apparatus for applying liquids to a surface comprising: disposable packaging container means for holding a predetermined volume of a liquid, said disposable packaging container means including a rectangular base member, four side wall members extending from a respective side of said base member forming a four sided truncated pyramid and a flat rectangular top member provided on the top of said truncated pyramid, serving as a rest base when the apparatus is not in use, said rectangular base member being provided with a plurality of pore means disposed in a predetermined manner for controlling the discharge of a liquid from said packaging container means, at least one liquid permeable member disposed proximate to said base member exteriorly of said packaging container means for selectively applying the liquid in said packaging container means on a surface, a sealable filling opening provided in one of said side wall members, a grip portion consisting of at least one depression provided in at least one of said side wall members, and a pair of nipples having a sharp edge projecting strip disposed therebetween provided on at least two opposite side wall members of said packaging container means for affixing said at least one liquid permeable member to said packaging container means.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus is a marking appliance and wherein the liquid in said disposable packaging container consists of at least one of a dye or an ink and wherein a stencil is disposed proximate to the outer surface of said at least one liquid permeable member for the marking of a surface.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an additional permeable member is attached to said packaging container means proximate to said base member, said additional permeable member being provided with a plurality of brush hairs for applying the liquid in said disposable packaging container to a surface.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said at least one liquid permeable member is a cloth-like felt or felt-like material consisting of at least one of a foam plastic, cellulose sponge, and fibrous cellulose products.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a second liquid permeable member is provided proximate to said first liquid permeable member, said second liquid permeable member being an extremely fine-mesh textile fabric laminated with polyurethane foam.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said disposable packaging container means consists of a plastic material.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said disposable packaging container means consists of thin metal sheet material.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said disposable packaging container means is an integrally formed one-piece container. 